NexID First To Offer "Liveness Detection" Software For Mobile Devices

Technology Agnostic, Software Can Enhance Security for Fingerprint Sensors on Mobile Devices

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Mar 18, 2014, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As mobile device manufacturers embed fingerprint ID into millions of smartphones, NexID Biometrics today introduces its Mobile Live Finger Detection (LFD) software, the first liveness detection solution designed specifically to exceed the convenience and security needs of mobile users worldwide. The software provides authentication rates as high as 94-97 percent, offering the highest levels of "spoof-proofing" software available on the market today.

NexID developed the Mobile LFD software solution specifically for mobile devices. Due to the variety of fingerprint-scanning solutions on the market, the company designed the software to be technology agnostic so it could work with all fingerprint sensors and mobile devices, while achieving fast execution times and resource efficiency.

The Mobile LFD software resides in a mobile device and detects whether an image captured by the device's fingerprint sensor is detecting a finger from a living person or if it's a fake or "spoofed" fingerprint.

Adding live finger detection enhances the device's security and helps eliminate unlocking a phone or one of its applications that may contain confidential information. As evidenced with Apple's iPhone 5S TouchID, fingerprint sensors are actually highly vulnerable to hacking without some form of liveness detection.

NexID will introduce Mobile LFD here this week in Booth #202 at the Connect: ID Expo, where company executives will discuss and illustrate fingerprint spoofing techniques and fake finger detection. Additionally, Clarkson University professor and NexID co-owner, Dr. Stephanie Schuckers, will be speaking at the conference at 1:50 p.m. today on the topic of "Fake Fingers and Stolen Templates: Topics in Biometric Security."

"Two of the world's leading mobile device makers now include fingerprint identification on their devices, so it doesn't take a crystal ball to see that trend continuing," said NexID COO Mark Cornett. "We believe every mobile device will incorporate some type of fingerprint ID functionality in the next couple of years. And with people relying more and more on their devices, the security of personal, financial, health and business information is not just needed, it's imperative. "

For example, businesses contemplating adopting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs face the need to ensure company information on mobile devices remains private and secure; meanwhile, employees may opt for more convenience to access phone features on the same devices. Mobile LFD offers a sliding scale of security for fingerprint ID on smartphones, allowing for a simple and flexible solution.

NexID said its Mobile LFD can immediately enhance the myriad of fingerprint ID solutions being developed by sensor manufacturers, mobile devices companies, and application developers. Fingerprint sensor companies can embed the software directly onto a sensor's chip (LFD on chip), and device manufacturers can add it to the main processor (LFD on host), all to provide customers with a convenient alternative to traditional PINs and passwords. NexID's Mobile LFD solution can also be embedded in "trust zone" or trusted execution environment chip sets.

The Mobile LFD SDK will be distributed free for evaluation, solution integration, and testing purposes. NexID also offers professional services to assist with the solution integration process. Licensing and distribution agreements are negotiated separately.

For more information on NexID Mobile LFD, please visit www.nexidbiometrics.com. A white paper on liveness detection, including examples of how the company researches and tests different "spoofing" techniques, is also available.

About NexID Biometrics
NexID Biometrics is a leading software and technology supplier to the biometric authentication industry. The company develops and licenses liveness detection software that enables fingerprint-scanning technologies to more accurately, and with greater confidence, authenticate scanned images by mitigating spoof-related risks. The company also provides testing and analysis of fingerprint scanning devices to identify existing vulnerabilities to known spoofing strategies. The company's founders represent some of the world's leading authorities on biometric spoof mitigation and liveness detection.

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